3 Reasons Why the Mets Waiting until 2012 for Johan Santana Is a Good Thing

The New York Mets have been without their true ace all year. Johan Santana has been shut down since he hurt his shoulder last September 14th. It was an injury that many "experts" said would keep him out until this year's All Star break.

The break came and went with no signs of Santana making a comeback this year. In early August, the team cleared him to resume a spring training regiment, which would have targeted a mid-September return.

They sent him to Port St. Lucie to make his preparations. He struggled to regain his velocity, but otherwise, didn't look bad. Things quickly changed, however, when he complained of pain in the shoulder after limited use.

After another of many setbacks, the team decided not to rush him. They will consider allowing him some innings in winter league ball, but they are deciding to target next year, and more specifically, Opening Day for his return. That is the right thing to do in this case. There are several reasons why, but three reasons initially become obvious.

His Health Is Far More Important for 2012

The New York Mets' season is over. Not literally, they still have a week and a half of games. But, after yesterday, the Mets have been "mathematically" eliminated from contention. The final week and a half they'll simply be playing for pride.

They can't play the role of spoiler to the Phillies or Braves, although they can hurt the Cardinals. They will be able to see what the younger players they called up can do with more innings. Otherwise, there is nothing left for the team to take from the remainder of the season.

Why give their best pitcher a start when he is not going to be at his best? It hardly makes sense to start him if he were healthy, but he is rehabbing. The risk of further injury would be too great for the team to take a chance on.

I understand the argument of helping his confidence and perhaps making him feel like a part of the team this season. But is that a good enough reason to throw him out there for an inning or two and chance hurting him? The Mets have decided it's not worth the risk, and I believe they are correct in that decision.

They Have Invested Too Much Money in Him

In February of 2008, the New York Mets stunned the baseball world by packaging a trade deal with the Minnesota Twins to acquire Johan Santana. Part of the deal required the Mets to sign him to a long-term contract. They did so by inking him to a six-year, $137.5 million deal.

He is halfway through that deal and has spent a majority of that half on the DL. The team has spent a hefty amount of money on an ace that they hoped would push them over the top in the division. When healthy, he can.

Right now, however, he is not healthy. If they risked starting him in a meaningless final week appearance and he came out of it worse than before, they would have to eat the remainder of that contract and have nothing to show for it.

One of the most important rules of the financial world is to always protect your investment. If the Mets gave him a start or a few innings in a mop-up role this season, just for the sake of having him pitch this year, they would be failing to protect their $137.5 million investment.

It's easy for us to say they should start him this year or throw him into a game, but it's not our money. I know I didn't spend $137.5 million. The owners did. True, they use the money that fans help them earn, but still, it's the team's investment, not ours. Financially, they are making the right decision.

Next Season Will Be a Fresh Start

The New York Mets need an ace. Mike Pelfrey was clearly not the answer that Terry Collins deemed him to be. While R.A. Dickey and Jonathan Neise are good pitchers in the rotation, they are not clear-cut aces for this staff's future.

Johan Santana has proven himself to be just what they currently need to start next season successfully. He is a game-changing pitcher. Hitters approach their at-bats differently against him than they would against a Chris Capuano or a Dillon Gee.

Santana has basically had a wash-out of a season. It's been lost, and no one can bring it back. If the team were to rush him for one or two innings, it would be a show of disrespect to him. He's their ace. You don't throw an ace out there for a handful of innings just to give him some innings.

You treat an ace with dignity and respect. Let him overcome his injury in the remaining months and let him get back to his normal routine in the offseason. He will feel a sense of normalcy and a feeling that he is more like his old self, not an injured shell of what he once was.

He will do his regular preseason activities and feel like he is once again the ace. With that sense of normalcy and stature comes confidence. With confidence comes success. That is, as long as he is able to regain his velocity which is the most important question right now.

A regular offseason would help him to regain that form. Overuse at this point would be detrimental. Resting him now helps him. The decision to not rush him, but rather give him a fresh start for next year is the right decision.

The Mets are finally treating him the way he should be treated. With respect, dignity and courtesy. He is the ace of the forseeable future. They need to treat him like it. 

For more of my work, please follow me on Twitter @nyfaninsjersey or visit my blog New York Fan in South Jersey